Spring reaction rebounding exercise device



Dec.

H. A. GABERSON SPRING REACTION REBOUNDING EXERCISE DEVICE Filed March 16, 1962 INVENTOR.

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This invention relates to an exercising device and more particularly to an entirely novel concept in the general class of pogo sticks,

Unlike most pogo sticks known heretofore,- the present device is not designed primarily for lateral motion, i.e. to cover ground, but rather is intended as an exercising device and thus is designed to be capable of absorbing and translating relatively enormous quantities of vertically descending energy into vertically ascending motion. While lateral motion can be achieved to some extent with the present device when itis so desired, lateral motion is generally accomplished only at the expense of relatively arduous exertion on the part of the rider.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a unique exercising device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an exercising device ofthe pogo-stick class which is capable of translating large quantities of vertically descending energy into vertically ascending motion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the pogo-stick class which can be fabricated readily and inexpensively but which nevertheless is of sufliciently rugged construction to be suitable for use as a genuine exercising device rrather than as a toy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an exercising device of the pogo-stick class which is capable of propelling an adult rider high intov the air.

Still another object of'this invention is to provide an exercising device of the pogo-stick class which not only has a completely enclosed spring, thereby eliminating the hazards inherent in exposed spring construction, but which also is so constructed that grease -or oil or the like, which it is generally desirable to utilize in connection with the spring, cannot leak out onto the exterior of the device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an exercising device of the pogo-stick class which is extremely stable.

Further objects of my invention will become apparent and an understanding of `my invention will be achieved upon inspecting the detailed specification that follows and the references therein to the acconnpanyingl drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partiallyV in crosssection of an embodiment of'my exercising device;

FIGURE 2 is a similar View showing the deviceas it would appear when almost completely compressed as for example when'a lheavy rider'has just come down upon it from a great height;

FIGURE 3 is a view'partially in cross-section taken along line 3-3of FIGUREl 1;

FIGURE 4. is a view partially in cross-section taken along vline 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now. to the drawings, the upper portion S of hollow tubular 'plungermember 10 within which is positioned coil spring.12,and a substantial-quantity of grease. for the lubrication thereof, is slidably disposed within thelower portion 14 ofV tubular cylinder member 16, to the top;18xof 'whichis permanentlyaixed, such as byxwelding, capping .member 20 which has a center bore. Secured to capping member 20 by meansgof upper nut 24 and lower. nut 26' is thethreadedvupper extremity Z of rod member. 30 which extremity extends through the center bore. There is aiixed to thetop of capping member20, in' any convenient'manner such as'by welding, a

SMCS arentv ice handle means. If desired, a handle 32 such as lseen more clearly in FIGURE 4 provided with rubber gripping members 34 can be 'aiixed to the device by providing said handle with a center bore which is passed over the threaded upper extremity 2S ofrod Silvandlreld in `place by upper nut 24shown in FIGURE l.

Bottom extremity 36 ofv plunger 10 is sealed in any convenient manner such as by sealing member 38 which may be permanently welded in place, or which canV be held in place by bolt 40 as shown in FIGURE 1'. Whether welded, or held in place in some other manner, said sealing member should be fitted carefully to bottom extremity 36 in order to prevent leakage of the grease oroil or the like contained in plunger 10. l

To upper extremity 8 of plunger 10, thereis `permanently aixed, such as by welding, stop member 44, which has bore 46 in the center thereof, said bore being large enough to accommodate in a comforatable sliding relationship rod 3), the bottom extremity 48 of which protrudes through bore 46 and into plunger 10. To said bottom extremity 48 is afiixedpiston 50.'

To the outside of cylinder 16 and at the lower'portion 14 thereof, there is permanently affixed by any suitable means such as by welded'flange means 54, flangebolts 56 and nuts 58, platform 6th which serves to support the rider. Platform d@ is preferably formed of a single circular piece of first quality hard rubber or wood with-a center bore as is most clearly seen in FIGURE 3; If desired, of course, a footrest(s) of the conventional type can'be utilized in place of 'circular platform 69.

In operation, a riders jumping upon vplatform tlcauses cylinder 16 to slide over plunger 10 and initiate the power cycle. Piston Stl supported by rod 30 slides inside-plunger 1t) (as illustrated in FIGURE 2) therebycompressing coil spring 12 therein, and storing energy which subsequently during the decompression part of the cycle is translated into upwardly directed vertical motion. As decompression occurs, cylinder 16 bearing the rideris propelled upwardly relative to plunger 10 until piston 50 strikes stop 44 which causes the motion of cylinder ldrelative to plunger 10 to come to a stop and thereby terminates the decompression part of the cycle.

The materials of construction of the various members of the device, and the size thereof` except as indicated hereinafter, are not generally critical. Plunger 10, cylinder 16 and rod 3d are preferably made of steel orA stainless steel as this materialhas for most purposes the best combination of weight and strength; Aluminurncan ybe utilized but in that case wall thicknesses haveto Vbe substantially increased in order to provide suicient strength. When steel is utilized, wall thicknesses of about 0.38 inch have proven to bel completely satisfactory.

The inner surface of cylinder 16 may be greased in order to facilitate the sliding relationship withvplunger le, but most preferably is lined (usually with a lining about .0l inch thick) with a material such as Teom a tetrauoroethyiene resin produced by E. I. du Pont de Nemours, which requires no lubrication, is extremely durable, and has a very low coefficient ofv friction when in contact with the outer surfaces of plungerr 10.' The useof a material such as Teflon completely obviates the necessity for the presence of grease'or' oil or therlike anywhere in the present device except for that .grease inside plunger 10 which is associatedwith-coil-spring 12. Thus, in the present device in contradistinction tomost prior art devices, there is no possibiilty-offgrease leaking to the outside of the device, not even-tothe outer surfaces of plunger It). If desired, the internal surfaces of plunger 10 can also be lined with T efl'on, thereby obviating completely thc necessity for utilizing 4any grease, etc., in the present device. It has been found,l 1owever, that under normal circumstances, this is not necessary.

Piston 50 and sealing member 3S are likewise preferably constructed of steel or stainless steel, and preferably have permanently attached thereto shock absorber means 66 and 68 respectively, which are preferably constructed of hard rubber. Shock absorber ed serves to dampen the impact of piston 50 against stop it which occurs at the terminus of the decompression portion of the power cycle. Likewise, shock absorber 68 dampens and sound proofs the impact of plunger l against the iioor or the ground as the case may be. Although, it is not necessary, an additional shock absorber '70 located below lower nut 2d has been found to dampen both the sound and the impact which occurs when stop 44 strikes lower nut 26 which can occasionally occur when the device is ridden aggressively by a heavy adult rider.

For proper operation of the present device, the combined length of piston 50 and of rod 30 must normally be at least about l0 inches and preferably not above about 24 inches. In order to achieve, the optimum in performance characteristics, it is preferred that the length of piston 50 and rod 30 be at least about l5 inches.

In addition coil spring 12 (constructed of steel) for the proper operation of the device, must itself have a diameter of at least about 1.5 inches and preferably at least about 2 inches, While the wire constituting the spring should have a diameter of at least 0.25 inch and preferably above about .033 inch. These minimum diameters for coil spring 12 itself and the wire constituting the spring have been found to be necessary for the achievement of minimum acceptable performance characteristics when the device is utilized by a heavy adult rider. While there is no absolute limit to the maximum diameter of the springs or the wire that can be utilized, springs having a diameter above about 4 inches and wire diameter above about 0.75 inch will rarely be found to be necessary or desirable.

The diameter of plunger l0, cylinder le, piston S0 and rod 30 are not in themselves generally critical, bearing in mind of course that the initial primary consideration be that plunger have a diameter large enough to comfortably accommodate coil spring l2. Nevertheless, it is obvious that in the interests of maintaining vibration and clatter to a minimum, and in order to achieve the unique performance and stabiltiy characteristics of the present device, it is highly desirable (a) that cylinder ld should fit as snugly as possible over plunger l0, (b) that piston 50 have a diameter at least equal to that of coil spring 12 and only slightly smaller than the inside diameter of plunger 10, and (c) that rod 30 should t as snugly as possible in bore 46, allowing of course in each case for sufficient clearance (usually between about 0.1 and 0.2 inch is ideal) to promote a smooth, sliding relationship accompanied by a minimum of friction between the various members.

The length of the various members of the present device is not normally critical bearing in mind that the lentgh of piston 50 and rod 30 must be at least l0 inches for the proper operation of the present device. Normally, however, the entire device should stand between about 36 inches and 60 inches tall, the sizes of the various members varying accordingly.

It is pointed out that the superior performance characteristics of the present device are attributable in large measure to the relatively large diameter coil spring 12, and the extremely long stroke of plunger 10, (as dictated by the length of piston 50 and rod 30). Thus, the extremely long stroke of the present device coupled with the relatively massive coil spring provide (a) the durability, strength and capacity required to withstand utilization by a heavy adult rider, (b) while simultaneously providing for the device the capability of absorbing elliciently a relatively large quantity of energy, which result in superior performance characteristics, i.e. the present device is capable of propelling a heavy (200 lb.) adult rider high into the air.

In addition, it is pointed out that the stability and lack of vibration of the present device are due in large measure to the extensive contact which occurs between plunger l0 and cylinder 16 when the device is compressed as illustrated in FIGURE 2. This extensive contact of smooth relatively closely fitting surfaces, largely eliminates the wobbling problem and the poor stability characteristics inherent in many prior art devices.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, rod 30 comprises a hollow tubular member (as shown in FIGURE 4) and piston 50 is provided with a center bore. Thus, a vent is provided for chamber 72 described by plunger 10. While such a vent is not necessary, it does serve to prevent the compression ofair within plunger 10 during the compression cycle. Compression of the air is undesirable in view of the fact that compressing and subsequently decompressing air is a relatively inetiicient manner of translating vertically descending energy into vertically ascending motion. Accordingly, if the ultimate in performance is desired, chamber 72 should be vented. While venting is readily accomplished in other ways, for example by providing holes in plunger 10, it has been found that venting through rod 30 as set forth above is both completely satisfactory and does not allow for leakage of grease, etc.

In addition, it is pointed out that a preloaded spring is still another means of improving the efficiency of the present device. Preloading is accomplished by utilizing a coil spring which is too long to lit into chamber 72. When, then said coil spring is forced under tension into chamber 72, and sealed therein, for example by welding stop 44 into place, a certain quantity of stored energy is already provided in the spring. While dellection of the spring is thus made more arduous, any given deflection which is accomplished returns a higher power output than the same deflection when preloading is not utilized. Obviously, the extent of preloading is variable, but experience has proven that preloading of the spring to lbs. is usually beneficial in my device.

Obviously many changes and modicataions can be made in the above description and the accompanying drawings without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention. For example, bottom portion 36 of plunger 10, together with sealing member 38 and shock absorber dS, is provided, can be increased in diameter in order to decrease the load per square inch that is exerted on sealing member 38 (or shock absorber 68). Accordingly, it is intended that the foregoing description together with the drawings be viewed as being illustrative and as in no Way limiting the scope of the present invention.

What I claim is:

1. An exercising device of the pogo-stick class comprising a hollow longitudinal tubular cylinder member, a footrest secured to the lower portion of said cylinder member, a small diameter tubular plunger member partially disposed slidably within the lower portion of said cylinder member, the lower extremity of said plunger being adapted to come in contact with the ground, a coil spring provided within said plunger member, a stop member which has a centrally located bore permanently aixed to the upper extremity of said plunger member, a rod member permanently aixed to the upper end of said cylinder and centrally positioned therewithin, the extremity of said rod member protruding through said bore, and piston means positioned above said coil spring and aiiixed to that extremity of said rod protruding through said bore.

2. The exercising device of claim l wherein said rod member is hollow and said piston means has a bore therethrough, the bore in said piston and said hollow rod constituting a vent.

3. The exercising device of claim l wherein the combined length of said rod member and said piston means is at least 10 inches.

4. The exercising device of claim l wherein the com- 5 bined length of said rod member and said piston means is between about l5 inches and about 24 inches.

5. The exercising device of claim l wherein said coil spring has an over-all diameter of at least about 1.5 inches and the wire forming said spring has a diameter of at least about 0.25 inch.

6. The exercising device of claim l wherein said coil spring has a diameter of at least about 2 inches.

7. The exercising device of claim 1 wherein the inner surfaces of said cylinder member are lined with a tetralluoroethylene resin.

8. An exercising device of the pogo-stick class comprising a hollow longitudinal tubular cylinder member, a footrest secured to the lower portion of said cylinder member, a handle means secured to the upper portion of said cylinder member, a smaller diameter tubular plunger member partially disposed slidably within the lower portion of said cylinder member, the bottom extremity of said plunger being adapted to come in Contact with the ground, a coil spring provided within said plunger member, a stop member which has a centrally located bore permanently affixed to the upper extremity or said plunger member, a rod member permanently affixed to the upper end of said cylinder and centrally positioned therewithin, the extremity of said rod member protruding through said bore, piston means positioned above said coil spring and aixed to that extremity of said rod protruding through said bore, and shock absorber means positioned between said piston means and said stop member.

9. An exercising device of the pogoestick class comprising a hollow longitudinal tubular cylinder member, a footrest secured to the lower portion of said cylinder member, a smaller diameter tubular plunger member partially disposed slidably within the lower portion of said cylinder member, the lower extremity of said plunger being adapted to come in contact with the ground, a coil spring provided within said plunger member, said spring having an outer diameter of at least about 1.5 inches and wire diameter of at least about 0.25 inch, a stop member which has a centrally located bore permanently aixed to the upper extremity of said plunger member, a rod member permanently aiixed to the upper end of said cylinder and centrally positioned therewithin, the extremity of said rod member protruding through said bore, and piston means positioned above said coil spring and ar"- xed to that extremity of said rod protruding through said bore, the combined length of said rod member and said piston means being between about l5 and about 24 inches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,871,016 Rapaport Ian. 27. 1959 

1. AN EXERCISING DEVICE OF THE POGO-STICK CLASS COMPRISING A HOLLOW LONGITUDINAL TUBULAR CYLINDER MEMBER, A FOOTREST SECURED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CYLINDER MEMBER, A SMALL DIAMETER TUBULAR PLUNGER MEMBER PARTIALLY DISPOSED SLIDABLY WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CYLINDER MEMBER, THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID PLUNGER BEING ADAPTED TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND, A COIL SPRING PROVIDED WITHIN SAID PLUNGER MEMBER, A STOP MEMBER WHICH HAS A CENTRALLY LOCATED BORE PERMANENTLY AFFIXED TO THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF SAID PLUNGER MEMBER, A ROD MEMBER PERMANENTLY AFFIXED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID CYLINDER AND CENTRALLY POSITIONED THEREWITHIN, THE EXTREMITY OF SAID ROD MEMBER PROTRUDING THROUGH SAID BORE, AND PISTON MEANS POSITIONED ABOVE SAID COIL SPRING AND AFFIXED TO THAT EXTREMITY OF SAID ROD PROTRUDING THROUGH SAID BORE. 